“Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.”

Tuesday, 6 January 2009

Twelfth Night

New Man and I have just had a wonderful two weeks together. We spent a week celebrating Christmas with my family, topped and tailed with a day at each end with New Man's family. It was my youngest niece's first Christmas, and our first Christmas as man and wife. My father declared it the best Christmas ever - and I'm not going to argue.

We then came back and celebrated New Year with some dear friends, then battened down the hatches and spent four days just relaxing together. We pottered about, doing little jobs around the house, chatting, reading and generally just enjoying each other's company.

We went back to work yesterday, and New Man is working late tonight. I've made some supper, taken down the Christmas decorations, moved the Three Wise Men into the crib and lit the candles in front of the now-complete crib scene.

The crib needs a small amount of explanation. The stable and most of the figures were bought by my brother and his then girlfriend (now my sister-in-law) on a trip to Oberammergau. The figures are all hand-carved, and cost way more than they could afford at the time. The one thing they just couldn't stretch to was the Three Wise Men.

That was about 10 years ago, and ever since then I've been looking out for the Magi to complete the set. Last December, my sister and brother-in-law took me on a surprise trip to Munich, and we went round the Christmas markets there. There is one section of the market which is completely given over to hand-carved crib figures. Unfortunately, this being a surprise trip right at the beginning of December, I hadn't checked my existing figures, and hadn't even seen them since the previous Twelfth Night. I had to guess which figures would go best with the existing set.

Being taller and lighter in colour than all the local characters, I suspect my Wise Men may have come from the North, rather than the East...

I hope all three of my readers had a very happy and blessed Christmas, and wish you a very happy 2009.